


Mine

by arianapeterson19



Series: Avengers Shorts [127]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Tony, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Kid Tony Stark, M/M, Possessive Tony Stark, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Tony Stark, Racism, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25618423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arianapeterson19/pseuds/arianapeterson19
Summary: When Tony claimed him Rhodey hadn't realized he had also claimed his clothes.ORThe one where Tony claims Rhodey five different times.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark
Series: Avengers Shorts [127]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/271549
Comments: 23
Kudos: 609





	Mine

**ONE**

They had been rooming together for a total of three days when they agreed to meet up for lunch on campus.

James Rhodes was still a little uncertain about the kid he was living with – because he was a kid. A fourteen year old had no business living on campus with a bunch of college idiots. It didn’t matter that James Rhodes was only seventeen himself. In fact, he was certain the only reason they were living together was because they were both technically underage. Still, it was undeniable that the kid was an adorable mess and James Rhodes decided to get to know his roommate better.

So when Tony walked up to him in the middle of the cafeteria, leaned up on his toes, and licked his cheek, James Rhodes could only stand there, shocked.

“What the – why did you – what?” stuttered James.

“You’re mine,” said Tony with a bright smile. “I had to make it official, so I licked you.”

“Why would that make it official?”

“Because when you want to claim food you lick it, right? Well, I figured it was a similar thing here. So I licked you.”

“And if I don’t want to be yours?”

“I guess you just don’t lick me back,” said Tony with a shrug. “So, lunch?”

James Rhodes blinked at the kid standing in front of him.

“Rhodey?”

Suddenly, Tony looked uncertain, as though he had just ruined something important and didn’t know what to do next. Tony’s hands, which were rarely still, started twisting in the front pocket of his hoodie. And as Rhodey looked closer he realized it wasn’t Tony’s hoodie, it was his. Tony had somehow stolen his hoodie in the last three days. It was cute.

“Yeah, lunch,” said Rhodey with a soft smile, throwing an arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulling him along.

**TWO**

By the time Rhodey reached Tony, it was a downpour. Tony had called him after a late class, tired and talking about how the buses had all stopped running because of a strike by the workers. Rhodey told him to stay at his building and he would come pick him up with his spare umbrella – because of course Tony hadn’t bothered to look at the forecast before leaving for class.

At sixteen Tony had better things to worry about than weather and rain and roommates who feel like they have to save him.

Tony didn’t need saving.

Except, according to Rhodey, Tony totally did need saving, which was why he was hiking across campus under his oversized umbrella, wearing that stupid lime green rain jacket Tony had gotten him for his birthday last year because his regular black rain jacket had gone missing. He was almost to the building he knew Tony had been working at when his roommate literally ran into him.

“What are you doing?” demanded Rhodey, pushing drenched hair out of Tony’s face. “I told you I was coming to get you. Why didn’t you just wait?”

“I was going to, but then these two sleazy guys came in and they are on some sort of drugs – probably meth – and they started doing dumb things and I figured I’d rather get wet than get caught with them and be guilty by association. So here I am. Love your jacket, by the way.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes and peered over Tony’s shoulder at the building. There were two men under the overhang with spray paint, painting racists things on the door and laughing, blowing smoke in the air. Rhodey sort of hoped they would miscalculate and get the paint in the way of their joints and catch fire. It was just a violent enough wish that he felt guilty but then he looked at the obscene things that were being painted and he felt less guilty.

“Come on, let’s just go,” insisted Tony softly, tugging on Rhodey’s arm. “They’re too drugged up to be put to rights.”

“We shouldn’t just walk away,” growled Rhodey. “That’s how people like them continue. They think it’s okay because people just walk away.”

“I know, and I already called the campus police,” said Tony. “Plus I took pictures of them and sent them on to the authorities as well. But like I said, they are on drugs and I really don’t want to get killed tonight.”

Rhodey looked down at Tony.

“You don’t understand,” whispered Rhodey.

“You’re right. I don’t understand. And I will never understand but you are my best friend and I will do anything I can to protect you and help you. In this case it means calling the authorities to handle it. And when it means stand and set them to rights I’ll do that too. I promise.”

Rhodey nodded.

“Do you want to find a nice covered area and wait there until someone shows up?” offered Tony.

Rhodey swallowed back tears and nodded. Tony took his arm and guided them to another building with a bench under the porch. It struck Rhodey then how Tony was nothing like people gave him credit for. He was empathetic and caring and willing to wait in the rain with his roommate to make sure some racists humans got caught defacing property.

“Is that my black rain jacket?” asked Rhodey suddenly.

“Sh, it’s our rain jacket.”

**THREE**

“Anthony Stark.”

Tony walked across the stage, easily one of the shortest graduates, definitely the youngest, and to a loud cheer because everyone wanted to show support for the future CEO of Stark Industries. They didn’t want him to look back on this moment when they needed a job and get turned away because they didn’t cheer.

However, waiting for Tony just off the side of the stage, having just walked himself, was one person who was genuinely cheering for the seventeen-year-old.

Tony ran to him and jumped into his arms, hugging him hard.

“Congrats man,” said Rhodey, setting the younger teen down and walking next to him back to their seats.

“We did it,” said Tony happily, leaning against Rhodey and beaming up at him. “We graduated.”

“Yes we did.”

When the ceremony was over, Rhodey held Tony’s hand as they wove through the crowd of people trying to unite with their families and friends, everyone shouting and laughing and hugging and dodging pictures. Finally they made it to Rhodey’s family, his mother, father, and two sisters all smiling and engulfing both boys in warm hugs.

“Come on, we’ve got a nice big meal ready at home,” said Mrs. Rhodes after congratulating both boys and smothering them in kisses. “And a cake that needs to be made.”

“You could have made the cake last night,” said Mr. Rhodes, rolling his eyes good naturedly.

“Fresh cake only for graduations, you know that,” said Mrs. Rhodes as they walked slowly to the waiting car.

“You didn’t have to cook, I could have ordered something,” said Tony shyly, still uncertain after three years of belonging to this family. He still felt like he needed to do something to earn their love.

“Of course you could,” said Jeanette, laughing and shoving Tony lightly into her brother. “You just graduated college, I would hope you’d be able to dial a number and order food.”

“Just let us celebrate you,” said Mr. Rhodes softly. “Are you sure your parents are fine with you being with us?”

“Yeah, they are in France right now,” said Tony, waving away the concern. “They sent a card and said they’d see me in a few weeks.”

Mrs. Rhodes exchanged looks with her husband but said nothing, all of them getting in the minivan. They used to have a smaller sedan but after James arrived home at Thanksgiving with his plucky young roommate in tow, they invested in a van so they could hold all three children. James would be quick to point out that since Tony was 17 and the youngest they didn’t really have any kids anymore but Mrs. And Mr. Rhodes would ignore such comments.

When they arrived at the three bedroom apartment, James and Tony both went to the boys room to change out of their black robes and into more comfortable clothing. Tony sat on the bottom bunk in jeans and an oversized sweater, waiting for Rhodey to finish changing before joining the family in the living room.

“Sorry your parent’s couldn’t make it today,” said Rhodey, standing in front of the mirror and fixing his shirt. “They are honestly terrible.”

“It’s okay,” said Tony with a shrug. “You were there. I just wanted the people most important to me there and you are it, so it’s fine.”

Rhodey blushed. This kid man.

“We move into our apartment next week, right?” said Tony, moving on to a different topic easily, as though he noticed his friends discomfort.

“Who says we are living together now that we are graduated?” said Rhodey with a wink, not meaning it in the slightest.

“You’re my permanent roommate,” said Tony matter of factly. “I licked you, so you’re mine.”

“Is that why you’re wearing my sweater?”

“Pretty sure this is my sweater. I’ve worn it way more times than you have.”

“That’s because you stole it from me. Stealing does not mean it becomes yours.”

“But is it stealing if it still resides in the same room as you?”

“Yes! Now give it back you territorial little punk,” said Rhodey before playfully tackling Tony back on the bed to wrestle the sweater off, both of them completely forgetting about the graduation celebration waiting for them in the living room.

**FOUR**

Rhodey woke up to Tony crawling into bed with him.

It wasn’t an entirely unusual occurrence. Tony liked sleeping cuddled up with someone and Rhodey as his roommate was the most frequent candidate for cuddling. What was strange was that Rhodey was very sure Tony had said he was spending the next week at home while his parents went out of town.

“What’s going on?” asked Rhodey with a yawn.

“You’re mine, right?” whispered Tony, pushing into Rhodey’s chest until the older man wrapped his arms around the eighteen-year-old after adjusting the fluffy blue blanket around them.

“Yeah,” said Rhodey, nonplussed. “You licked me, remember?”

Tony nodded and didn’t say anything for several more minutes.

“What’s up Tony?” whispered Rhodey, holding the kid close in the dark.

“There was an accident tonight,” said Tony just as softly, as though hoping the dark would swallow up his voice. “My parents – Howard was driving. They think he might have been drunk. It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t change the fact that he crashed into a tree. They’re dead. Both of them.”

“Oh,” said Rhodey.

There were no tears. Either Tony was in shock or the grief of losing both parents at once was so devastating that tears would not suffice. Whatever the reason, Rhodey held Tony close for the rest of the night, staring up at the ceiling as he ran his hand through Tony’s messy hair. He didn’t say anything because this wasn’t something words could fix. He didn’t mention the fact that Tony was wearing Rhodey’s pajamas, he didn’t talk about the subtle trembles the sometimes passed from Tony’s body to his, he just held his roommate as close as possible, assuring him with his presence that Rhodey was there, that Rhodey was his for whatever he needed and would be for as long as Tony wanted him.

**FIVE**

“I’m not sure I want to know why you are wearing my suit,” said Rhodey when he entered his bedroom to find Tony inspecting himself in the mirror in Rhodey’s interview suit.

“I wanted to see how it looked on me,” said Tony with a shrug.

“The answer is terrible.”

Tony stuck his tongue out at Rhodey through the mirror.

“I’ve got a friend coming over soon,” said Rhodey. “Get changed and get out of my room so I can clean it.”

“Ew, it’s like a date type of friend?” said Tony, wrinkling his nose and sliding the suit jacket off.

“No, but my sheets need to be washed because you have been spending every night in my bed for the last week.”

“You love cuddling me and you know it.”

“No I do not.”

“Fine. Then I love cuddling you because you are my best friend and give the best cuddles.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes. Tony had turned nineteen last week and it was his first birthday spent without his parents. Rhodey knew it was hard and hadn’t complained in the slightest. Even as it was getting more difficult not to blend the lines between friends and more than friends.

Maybe after this not-date he could talk about a real date with Tony.

**Author's Note:**

> Possible "And One" chapter later.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari


End file.
